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Friday, September 30, 2011

My numbers are on the upswing again, mostly from being back on the bike, throwing some swimming into the mix; a sign of things to come!

325 total miles (+109 over August)

35:07 time, so about 7 hours a week (around a 90 minute per week gain)

151 miles running in 20:47 (August 149/20:28)

171 miles cycling in 9:45 ( August 59/3:38)

5150 yards (zero in June, July and August) swimming….yes swimming

Remaining time was stretching, foam rolling, P90X Ab Ripper and a bit of yoga!

Longest ride 35 miles – 1:50 back to back Sufferfests

Longest run 20.25 – 3:03

Starting weight 166.8lb ending 167lb (from 187 at end of April)

Three rest days…last one was 9/4!

A couple of notable highs, I nailed my marathon pace 15 miler, finishing it in 1:47, pulled in a couple of 10 milers at a 7:00 pace, I am getting closer and closer to clocking a sub 6:00 mile…haven’t done that in nearly 30 years and my average running pace for the entire month was 7:12! On the bike I rode back-to-back Sufferfests and talking of which I was inducted in the Sufferlandrian National Team...go team!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

At face value A Very Dark Place would be a fitting description of my pain locker; a quiet house, I’m in the garage, the lights are off, it’s o’dark o’clock, the reflection of my Garmin providing that ghostly illumination of the grimace on my face as I adopt that 1000 yard stare gazing deep into the monitor with images that taunt me…

However the really dark place is the tunnel that your are led down with another ass kicking ride from the Sufferfest. This time it breaks you down like this:

5:00 warm-up, with Asian racing footage from a member of the OCBC-Singapore National Team

2×30 sprints, from start line of the OCBC Cycle Singapore professional criterium

1:30 rest, because we’re not totally merciless

5 x 4:00 sprints- with 3:00 rest between each interval. Each interval features pro-racing:

Solo breakaway in Paris-Nice

Small group breakaway in Fleche-Wallone

Joining Gilbert and the Schlecks as they attack in Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Following Cancellara – and trying to beat him – in Paris-Roubaix

Holding onto Wiggins and crew in Criterium du Dauphine

4:00 recovery with some vintage cycling footage

Footage as always is a mix of the best classics; local crits and some breathtaking vistas for the rest intervals. The joy, the nice thing, the masochistic reality of each interval is that they each ask you for something different, climbs, sprints, breakaways, pursuits, attacks, bridging from the peloton to the leaders, there is a little bit of everything for everyone to generate that bitter, acidic, metallic taste in you mouth! In addition to classic races and scenery you get to hang out with the big boys; Phillipe Gilbert, Fabian Cancellara, Thor Hushovd and Bradley Wiggins.

IWBMATTKYAT!

Seriously though as the nights (at least in the northern hemisphere) close in and cyclists, triathletes and runners are relegated to their garages, dens, spare bedrooms or pain lockers the option for engaging, effective and realistically priced training on their ever most favorite piece of equipment; the trainer.The Sufferfest provides all of these with a nice bow on! Easily downloaded, although be patient it’s nearly a 3GB data file, you can be up and riding in less that 10 minutes from parting with the $12.00.

AVDP is the seventh video from the Sufferfest and, as with the preceding six, asks something different from you…the question is can you answer?

Saturday, September 3, 2011

We’ve all been there, achy, tired, heavy legs and we have all looked for the cure-all that will put some pep in our step for the next work out, so when I got an email from Jack Black about Dragon Ice I admit I bit and contacted them asking for a sample to try (and review) well that and the fact that the name sounded pretty cool! I fully expected to receive an iddybiddy sample size so I was delighted to get a life size 4oz tube of it!

Not wanting to waist any time I immediately lost it! Two weeks later I found it in our kid’s coloring cubby, mistakenly tidied away but used as paint! So from there I started to use it. I would usually use it at the end of the day, even though most of my training is in the early morning come the end of the day, my legs were still feeling tired. I shifted to then using it sparingly in the mornings.

On application the first thing you notice is the smell, menthol, now it is pretty strong but it does dissipate quickly and personally I like it so it’s not an issue. The other great thing is a little goes a long way; a quarter size squirt is enough for quads and knees a nickel for calves. It goes on easily is not oily or greasy and is quickly absorbed so sheets or clothes are spared. As with anything like this I suggest you wash you hands afterwards just in case you have the errant rubbing of the eye (or other sensitive areas) sometime later!

So it smells nice, is not messy but does it work? Well for me yes, I cannot claim that the restorative powers provide speed or endurance but it makes my muscles feel better, the immediate effect is a little hard to describe as it is not your typical heat or hot/cold but it is more or a warm numbing that seems to allow the muscles to relax more and from there I can go at it again the next day so for me that’s a winner!

In terms of the contents, they are listed below from Jack Black’s website:

Menthol warms to help soothe muscle aches and pains.

Dragon’s Blood (Croton Lechleri Resin), a dark red resin from the Upper Amazon, works to reduce inflammation, provides antibacterial and rich antioxidant benefits to fortify skin and protect it against environmental stress.

Beta-Glucan provides antioxidant and immune boosting benefits.

Canadian Willowherb has natural anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant properties.

One thing that specifically appealed was the healthiness of it’s ingredients all of which are certified organic, for the vegan they are certified vegan and for those of you with sensitive skin it is dermatologically tested.

A 4oz tube retails for $22.00 and is available through multiple Main Street retailers you can also pick it up through their website where if you spend $50 you get free shipping.

Wow now I have written it down that was quite some difference, but in all fairness it was all targeted towards my A race and my goal which was achieved. So with mission accomplished I am mixing it up a bit. According to my training bible I should be able to run a 3:09 marathon…I am not so sure but I think I could land somewhere between 3:20 and 3:30 and to be honest with the HM training in the bank I am shifting focus onto the Marathon.

Now this means that I need to look at what I had planned so I am nixxing the Eco Marathon, to be honest it was an expensive race to enter and the hotel and boat trip only made it more so so for around 50% I am all signed up for:

In June 2007 I ran my first Marathon, in September I started Trail Running and in November the same year I ran my first 50k. Since then I have run another seven Marathons and started twelve Ultras; finishing ten of them. In 2012 I turned my attention towards Triathlon. I finished my first Tri, a Sprint in March 2012 and finished Ironman Arizona eight months later in November. 2013 turned out to be a bit of a recovery year from racing and blogging. 2014 was a mixed bag with an Ironman 70.3, mountain and road cycling races and a Marathon! In 2015 I am going back to the trails and getting some dirt under my nails again!